Nasal speculum



Aug. 10 1926. 1,595,378

W. J. CAMERON NASAL SPECULUI Filed Sept. 11, 1925 Wm I CPMER N Patented Aug. 10, 1926.

WILL J. CAMERON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

NASAL SPECULUM.

7 7 Application filed September 11, 1925. Serial No. 55,874.

My present invention relates to instruments for use by physicians and surgeons in making examinations of and performing operations in cavities, and has more particular reference to a speculum for examining and operating in the nasal cavities,

The primary object of my invention is to provide an instrument which may be readily inserted into the nostril of the patient and then opened to a more or less extent for the purpose of dilating the cavity so that an inspection of the same may be had or an operation upon the membrane may be readily performed. Another object of my invention resides in providing a nasal speculum that is easy to operate and which may b readily separated from the holder for purposes of sterilization. Further objects reside in providing an instrument of this character that is simple in structure, coinpact in the arrangement of its parts, easy ring 16 that secures the .speculum to the to operate and novel in construction.

I prefer to accomplish the above-mentioned objects and to carry out my invention, in substantially the manner hereinafter described and as'more specifically pointed out in the claims, reference being herein made to the accompanying drawings that form a partof this specification.

In the drawings Figure l. is a vertical side elevation of a nasal speculum made in accordance with my invention.

Figure 2 is an end View thereof looking at the same from the distal ends of the speculum.

Figure 3 is a transverse vertical section.

on line 3, 3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 1s a longitudinal section on line 4, 4, of Figure 1, the rear 'portion of the.

instrument being broken away, and the structure drawn to an enlarged scale. 7

Figure 5 is a longitudinal section on line 5, 5 of Figure 4, with only the pivotal or proximal portions of the speculum jaws being shown.

The drawings illustrate a typical or preferred form in which my invention may be embodied, and throughout the figures I have employed similar reference characters to designate like parts wherever the same appear.

In Figur 1 I have shown the speculum mounted upon the endof a handle and lamp carrier 10 similar to that illustrated and described in connection with my co-pending application, filed September 4, 1924, Serial Number 735,973, for, A handle for instruments for making examinations. In

connection with said handle and lamp carrier it may be briefly stated the lamp or bulb 11, shown in dotted lines in Figure 1, is adapted to be retracted or moved back into the handle portion 10 whenever desired, and when the lamp or bulb is projected to the location, as shown in Figure v1, the same will be positioned within a cy- "and bayonet-slot connection.

,The cylindrical housing 12 is exteriorly threaded at its opposite ends to receive at one end the annular member 14 in which a 'lens'bezel 1 5 is rotat-ably mounted and to receive at its opposite end the annulus or housing. The annulus or ring16 has a serrated exterior surface and it is internally threaded, as seen in Figure 4, so that it may be screwed onto the threads at the adj acent end of the housing. A short tubular extension 17 projects axially from the annulus or ring 16. and is suitably connected thereto, as seen in Figure4, so that it may be rotated independently of said annulus in order to place, the speculum jaws in divers positions with respect to their support. As willbe observed in Figures 1 and 4, the speculum jaws 18, 18, are of concavo-convex shape and when placed together in their normal positions form a hollow conicalshaped instrument that projects axially from the extension 17. Thesejaws 18, 18, are hingedly secured to the extension 17 by means of small rivets 19 and at one side, and adjacent one pair of rivets, the jaws are'extended inwardly to provide operating lugs 20 that are bent inwardly towards the axis of the instrument, as seen in, enlarged detail in Figure 5. c

At a convenient point intermediate the ends of the tubular extension 17 I secure a transversely. disposed tube 21, the axis of which is tangent to the periphery of the extension 17 so that the bulk or major portion of the tube 21 is positioned exteriorly of the extension and the remaining portion extends within and acrossthe exterior. As will beseen in Figure 5 the inwardly extended portion of the tube 21 is between the lugs or ears 20 and the adjacent portion of the extension 17 and the lugs or cars are so shaped that they extend over and hug portions of the tube, making a very compact arrangement. The tube 21 has an elongated opening or slot 22 in its wall that is within the extension 17 so that the interior of the tube 21 is accessible from the interior of the extension 17, and one end of the tube is closed by 'a wall or disk 23 that is centrally apertured to provide a bearing for one end of rotatable operating spindle 24;. The end of the spindle adjacent the aforesaid aperture is provided with a shoulder 25 to prevent its accidental longitudinal movement and its opposite end is provided with a head 27 by which the spindle may be rotated. This end of the spindle passes through and has a bearing in the central bore of an exteriorly threaded plug 26, said plug being flanged at its outer end, which is transversely slotted upon its outer surface so that a screw-driver blade may be employed to screw it into the adjacent threaded end of tube 21. Theintermediate portions of the spindle, within the tube 21, are provided with right and left hand threads 28 and 29, the threaded portions of which pass through correspondingly shaped internally threaded block or nuts 30 disposed within the tube. Each of the blocks or nuts 30 has a lateral stud 31 that projects therefrom through the slot 22 in the tube and prevents rotational movement of the respective blocks or nuts .50 when the spindle 2a is rotated by its head 27, thereby causing the blocks to slide longitudinally in the tube towards or away from each other whenever the spindle is rotated in one direction Or the other. These studs enter and engage slots or elongated apertures 32 formed in the ears or lugs 20 that project from the jaws 18 into the tubular extension 17. Thus, when the head 27 is rotated in a direction to move the blocks or nuts 30 towards each other the lugs or ears 20 will be correspondingly moved towards each other which causes the jaws to move upon their respective hinge pins 19 and to separate in the manner suggested in dotted lines in Figure 4;. As this is done after the small or tapered end of the speculum has been inserted into a nasal cavity, the separation of the jaws will cause a dilation of the cavity so that the physician or surgeon may readily examine the membrane through the lens in the bezel 15 and the area under examination may be illuminated by the lamp or bulb .11 when the latter is in a projected position as in Figure 1. By removing the annulus or ring 1 1 which carries the lens bezel, the physician or surgeon may then operate upon the membrane by inserting the surgical instrument into the barrel or cylinder 12 and through the opened jaws of the speculum.

It frequently occurs that the operator may desire to place the handle in one position and have the jaws of the speculum open in a different posit-ion from that shown. in Figure 1 and in this event the extension 17 may be readily rotated in its annulus or ring 16, thus placing the spindle 24 in any desired plane, as illustrated in dotted lines in Figure 2 of the drawings. Also the operator may remove the speculum by rotating the ring or annulus to unscrew it from the cylinder or barrel 12 and may substitute an instrument of different character therefor.

lVhat I claim as new is:

1. A nasal speculum comprising a cylindrical housing having a source'of illumination therein'and having a threaded end, a threaded ring mounted on said end, a tube extended from said ring and having rota-tive movement independently thereof, a plurality of jaws pivotally mounted upon said tube, apertured ears projecting from said jaws, a threaded rotatable spindle adjacent said jaws, nuts mounted on said spindles and movable longitudinally thereon by the rotation of said spindle, and studs projecting from said nuts intothe apertures of said ears whereby the movement of said nuts is transmitted to said jaws to open or close the same.

2. A nasal speculum comprising a housing, a tubular member secured to one end of'said housing, a plurality of jaws mounted upon and having pivotal connection with said element, a spindle having oppositely threaded portions, threaded members actuated by said spindle, and means operati'vely connecting said members with said jaws for opening and closing the latter, said tubular member having rotative movement independently of said housing whereby to dispose said j aws in divers positions when either opened or closed.

3. A nasal speculum comprising a tubular member, a pair of tapered concave-convex jaws hingedly mounted thereon, a tubular element disposed tangent to said tubular member, a spindle rotatably mounted in said tubular member, devices operatively connected to said jaws and actuated by the rotational movement of said spindle for open ing and closing said jaws, and means for connecting said tubular member to a suitable support whereby said member and the parts carried thereby may be rotated independently of the support to dispose said jaws in divers positions with respect to the support.

4. A nasal speculum comprising a pair of tapered concavo-convex jaws, a cylindric member upon which said jaws are hingedly mounted, and means for opening and clo's-.

ing said jaws consisting of a rotatable spindle mounted tangent upon said member and having opposite threads tl1ereon,'nuts movable longitudinally upon the respective threaded portions of said spindle, and means operatively connecting said nuts to said jaws. s

5. A nasal speculum comprising a pair of tapered concavo-convex jaws, a cylindric member upon which said jaws are hingedly mounted, apertured upon the proximal ends of said jaws, and means for opening and closing said jaws consisting of a rotatable oppositely threaded spindle mounted adja cent said ears with its axis at right angle to the axis of said cylindric member, nuts movable longitudinally upon the respective threaded portions'of said spindle, and studs projecting from said nuts into the apertures of said ears whereby said jaws are caused to pivot upon their hinges when said blocks are moved towards or away from each other.

6. A nasal speculum comprising a pair of tapered concavo-convex jaws, a cylindric member upon which said jaws are hingedly mounted, apertured ears upon the proximal ends of said jaws, a slotted tube secured tangently to said cylindric member with the slot within the same, an oppositely threaded spindle rotatably mounted in said tube, nuts movable longitudinall upon the threaded portions of saids-pindle, and studs projecting from said nuts through the slot in said tube and positioned in the apertures of said ears, whereby the rotation of said spindle causes said jaws to be moved upon their hinges.

, Signed at Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, this 4th day of September, 1925.

, 1 WILL J. CAMERON. 

